Chapter 6: Expired Milk and Premium Instant Ramen
"I'm heading out!"
Sakura's voice rang out from the entryway as she slipped on her shoes and pushed open the front door.
"Hey, honey — why is Sakura leaving so early?"
Kizashi sat at the dining table with his newspaper, looking confused.
Mebuki was in the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast dishes. She didn't even glance up.
"How should I know? And put down that stupid newspaper — if you've got nothing better to do, sweep the floors, mop after that, and then take out the trash!"
"Uh… right, yes ma'am…"
One look at his wife's face and Kizashi obediently went for the broom.
Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha, turning the problem over in her head. First time visiting — she should bring something. But what?
Naruto's favorite food was Ichiraku Ramen, obviously. But it was only nine in the morning — too late for breakfast, too early for lunch.
She thought back to what she knew about Naruto's daily life from the original story.
Expired milk and instant ramen…
And drawing on his dad's — and her past self's — faces on the Hokage Monument…
Sakura's green eyes lit up. She held up a mental finger.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to cook, and you feed him for a lifetime.
She headed straight to the village bookshop and used Iruka's money to buy a cookbook: From Beginner to Master Chef.
Then she picked up ingredients for the first recipe inside.
Grand total: about eighty ryō.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had cleared his schedule for the day, specifically to watch how Sakura would handle the Naruto situation.
Seeing her approach, he couldn't help but smile.
He'd chosen well. The thinking was sound — if Naruto actually learned to cook from this, all the better.
Following the address Iruka had given her, Sakura lugged her bags to Naruto's apartment.
He lived on the top floor of a small building.
From his window, you could see the Hokage Tower and the Hokage Rock face clearly.
Way better location than the Haruno house. At least from here you had a view. Back home, you couldn't see either landmark.
"Naruto? You home?"
"Naruto?"
"It's me — Sakura."
She knocked on the door. After a moment, she heard what sounded like a small tornado tearing through the apartment, and then a blond kid in a sleep cap threw the door open, looking flustered.
"Sakura?!"
Six-year-old Naruto stared at his classmate in shock.
This was the first time anyone besides the old man had ever come to his home.
"I came to see you. Am I not welcome?"
Sakura waved the bags of groceries in front of him with a smile.
"N-no! That's not—"
Naruto looked at her with wide, nervous eyes.
"Then are you going to invite me in, or…?"
It took a beat before the realization hit. Naruto scrambled aside and ushered her through the door.
To Sakura's surprise, the apartment was actually fairly clean.
Then again — Hiruzen dropped by every month with living expenses. It would've been stranger if the place were a wreck.
"S-Sakura… is there… something you need?"
Naruto watched her wander around inspecting his apartment, completely at a loss.
"Hm?"
"Can't I visit without a reason?"
"Or does that mean you don't want me here?"
Sakura made a beeline for the refrigerator. She pulled it open and was greeted by row after row of identical cartons.
A fridge packed wall-to-wall with milk.
She picked one up and checked the date.
Three days until expiration.
"Naruto, this milk's about to expire. Make sure you drink it soon, okay?"
She held up the carton and gave it a little shake.
"Oh… okay…"
Naruto stared at her blankly, completely unsure how to act.
"Um… Sakura, why did you come to see me?"
He hesitated, watching her carefully.
"Iruka-sensei's worried about you. He asked me to check in."
Sakura threw Iruka under the bus without a shred of guilt.
Watching through his crystal ball, Hiruzen frowned slightly when Sakura blurted out the truth. But a moment later, he relaxed.
There's no such thing as kindness without reason. If Sakura just showed up out of nowhere, Naruto would overthink it. Better to be upfront — that way, the boy wouldn't spiral into suspicion. Less trouble in the long run.
"Huh?"
Naruto blinked at her, going still.
For some reason, something sank in his chest. He'd thought maybe…
"Iruka-sensei really does care about you, Naruto. Try not to make him angry all the time, okay?"
Sakura smiled and ruffled the boy's blond hair.
Then her eyes drifted to the table — and the instant ramen cup clearly left over from last night's dinner. The trash can underneath held several more.
She'd expected this, but it still made her frown.
"Naruto… is this all you eat?"
The blond kid didn't pick up on her concern at all. His eyes actually lit up, as if he'd found a fellow ramen enthusiast.
"Yep!"
"Instant ramen is my absolute favorite!"
"I've even got the premium collector's edition — want to see?!"
Naruto yanked open a cabinet like he was showing off buried treasure. Sakura's eye twitched.
An entire cabinet. Floor to ceiling. Nothing but instant ramen.
No wonder he never grew tall…
"How much does one of these cost?"
Sakura picked up a cup and checked the date.
At least these had more time than the milk — three months until expiration.
"Two hundred ryō! Super cheap!"
"How much?!"
Sakura stared at him in disbelief.
She'd bought an entire bag of groceries with Iruka's money for eighty ryō. And Naruto was paying two hundred for a single cup of ramen?
If Iruka ever found out how much these cost, he'd have an aneurysm.
"It's the premium collector's edition, so it's a little more than regular ramen — but it's really good!"
"Want one, Sakura?"
Naruto looked at her hopefully.
"Where are you getting the money for all this?"
Sakura tilted her head. Wasn't Naruto supposed to be dirt-poor as a kid?
Expired milk, instant ramen for every meal…
Well — technically, the milk was only expiring because he had too much to drink before it went bad.
"The old man gives it to me! Five thousand ryō every month."
Naruto said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Sakura slowly turned toward the window — and the Hokage Tower clearly visible through it.
Prime real estate in the center of Konoha. Five thousand ryō a month. A fridge full of expiring milk. A cabinet overflowing with overpriced ramen. And enough pocket money left over to fund his constant pranks…
Hiruzen Sarutobi had been throwing money at the problem without ever teaching the kid how to spend it.